VANCOUVER, B.C.. MAY 26, 2012-- Actress Sara Canning with Christopher Heyerdahl who won best actor in a children’s series for the a”Haunting Hour” arrive at the annual Leo awards for B.C.-made film and TV,at the Hotel Vancouver on Saturday May, 26 2012.Les Bazso
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VANCOUVER, B.C.. MAY 26, 2012-- Actress Emilie Ullerup and producer Kyle Cassi hm it up at the annual Leo awards for B.C.-made film and TV,at the Hotel Vancouver on Saturday May, 26 2012.Les Bazso
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VANCOUVER, B.C.. MAY 26, 2012-- Johannah Newmarch who won the best supporting actress award for the feature “Sunflower Hour” arrives at the annual Leo awards for B.C.-made film and TV,at the Hotel Vancouver on Saturday May, 26 2012.Les Bazso
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VANCOUVER, B.C.. MAY 26, 2012-- Ryan Robbins who won the best actor award in a feature for the crime dram “Marilyn” arrives with actress Karyn Baltzer at the annual Leo awards for B.C.-made film and TV,at the Hotel Vancouver on Saturday May, 26 2012.Les Bazso
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VANCOUVER, B.C.. MAY 26, 2012-- Johannah Newmarch who won the best supporting actress award for the feature “Sunflower Hour” arrives at the annual Leo awards for B.C.-made film and TV,at the Hotel Vancouver on Saturday May, 26 2012.Les Bazso
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VANCOUVER, B.C.. MAY 26, 2012-- (l-r) John Cassini with his brother Frank Cassini who won best supporting actor in a dramatic series “Blackstone” TV show” arrive at the annual Leo awards for B.C.-made film and TV,at the Hotel Vancouver on Saturday May, 26 2012.Les Bazso
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VANCOUVER, B.C.. MAY 26, 2012-- Steven Cree Molison who won the best actor award for the TV series “Blackstone” arrives at the annual Leo awards for B.C.-made film and TV, at the Hotel Vancouver on Saturday May, 26 2012.Les Bazso
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VANCOUVER - British Columbia celebrated its achievements in film and television at the fourteenth annual Leo Awards Saturday evening in the midst of a difficult time for arts in the province and across the country.

Before the ceremony, Leo Awards President, Walter Deroshin, explained the importance of these kinds of events. “British Columbia has what I call a gorilla gesture when it comes to this industry,” he said. “It pounds its chest about being a billion dollar industry, 20,000 people employed, x amount of tax dollars generated. But the complimentary gesture to that is recognizing the artistic excellence within the community. Unless we’re good at what we do, it doesn’t matter how much of it we do.”

Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne hosted the event. Their show Sanctuary, which was cancelled after its fourth season earlier this month, was nominated for 18 awards but only managed to snag one award at the Saturday evening ceremony.

“We’re so proud of Sanctuary,” Tapping said back stage before the show. “We’re so proud of the little show that could and the fact that we’ve got to work with so many amazing talents in the community. We’re 100% financed and produced, writing and post-production, everything is done in Vancouver and we’re in 170 countries in the world.”

Sanctuary wasn’t the only cancelled show with multiple nominations. Hiccups garnered Best Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series. “It seems like a lot of these awards are posthumous,” joked star Nancy Robertson.

Throughout the evening, Tapping and Dunne recongnized the difficulties that British Columbia’s arts community is facing with references to the change in Ontario’s tax credits and the closure of the Vancouver Playhouse.

"With the closing of the Vancouver Playhouse actors who can really act will be looking for work," Dunne quipped. "So people like me are screwed."

Carl Bessai’s Sisters & Brothers nearly cleaned up the top awards for feature length drama, including best drama, best director and best female lead. Bessai, who won for best director for Sisters & Brothers, dedicated his award to the actors because of the film's improvisational nature.

The lone aberration in the feature-length upper echelon was Ryan Robbins for his turn as a bank robber in Marilyn. “I thought for sure this was going to Ben Ratner,” Robbins joked, referring to the Vancouver mainstay who won Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for his work in Flashpoint. “He’s an incredible actor, an incredible mentor and an incredible coach.”

The Aboriginal People's Television Network series Blackstone scored the Best Dramatic Series nod. During the acceptance speech, producer Jesse Szymanski pointed out that creating a series that causes real political change “is probably the most rewarding thing you can do in the arts.”

Steven Cree Molison was tipped as best male lead for his turn in Blackstone and the show also cleaned up in the best supporting performance categories with statues for Frank Cassini and Tantoo Cardinal.

Meg Tilly earned the award for the Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series in Bomb Girls but couldn't be in Vancouver because of theatrical commitments. Her award was accepted by Bomb Girls costar Ali Liebert.

But Tilley, who is a BC mainstay sent a note. "I am in Toronto raging around the stage in my second show of the day in a restricting garment getting a bit pungent," she wrote before going on to praise this province's film and television community.

Johannah Newmarch from the Sunflower Hour was in tears when she accepted her award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama.

She said of the film's minuscule $35 000 budget, "if that's not a tribute to blood sweat and tears, I don't know what is. We're not accountants and we suffer for it, so thank you very much.”

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BC's Leo Awards honours film, TV achievements in difficult times

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